Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)

Taking a closer look at some minor league free agents (updated)
No matter if baseball's Winter Meetings proceed as planned next month in Orlando, Fla., or are shelved while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias will be keeping both eyes on the major and minor league free agent markets. Large sums of cash won't be spent, but there are ways to upgrade the roster and depth at the highest levels of the farm system. Venturing to the minor league side allows the Orioles to increase camp...

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs

The Bowie Baysox win to reach the playoffs
They took an early lead but then fell behind. But the Double-A Bowie Baysox put together a dramatic rally in the last of the eighth this afternoon and pulled out their must-win game today. Bowie entered the final day of the regular season needing a win to advance to the playoffs. A loss and the season would be over. The Baysox entered the last of the eighth down 5-4 but scored three times to beat Altoona 7-5. The Baysox end the regular season 73-47 (.608), winning 12 of their final 14 games, to...

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)

Orioles and Rays lineups (updated)
Trey Mancini is out of the Orioles lineup after fouling a ball off his left calf and left foot last night and leaving the game following his run-scoring double. Ryan Mountcastle is starting at first base after his reinstatement from the concussion injured list. Mountcastle has an RBI in seven consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest of his career behind an eight-game stretch from May 31-June 9. He leads the Orioles with 15 RBIs since the All-Star break...

Non-roster players keep getting chances with Orioles

Non-roster players keep getting chances with Orioles
The Orioles drafted a second baseman in the second round, Connor Norby of East Carolina University, but he isn't blocking Jahmai Jones. I already saw and approved that joke on Twitter. Norby is praised by scouts for his solid tools across the board. He's a career .392/.458/.596 hitter at East Carolina. He led the nation with 102 hits this year. But I'm betting that Jones beats him to the majors. Any takers? Jones is batting .279 with an .863 OPS after Tuesday night's single and triple and...

Harvey still can't locate win, Orioles lose to Jays 10-2 (updated)

Harvey still can't locate win, Orioles lose to Jays 10-2 (updated)
Matt Harvey has pitched in some tough luck this season, as Orioles manager Brandon Hyde mentions with great frequency. Tonight, he pitched in confusion. Mark it on the Matt Harvey bingo card. Umpires ruled that left fielder Ryan McKenna made a diving catch of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s sinking liner after the first two batters reached. Marcus Semien was tagged after rounding third base, the call requiring him to go back to second, and two runners stood on first. A double play? A triple play? The...

Gutierrez among Orioles reserves for tonight's game

Gutierrez among Orioles reserves for tonight's game
The latest roster move made by the Orioles this afternoon occurred after they decided that Maikel Franco's day-to-day status was leaving them vulnerable. Franco hasn't played in a week due to a sprained right ankle and today went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday. Kelvin Gutierrez replaces him on the active roster and is on the bench for tonight's game against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. "Without an extra infielder ... he wasn't available in Anaheim, wasn't available...

Sceroler "thankful for this whole entire situation"

Sceroler "thankful for this whole entire situation"
The Tuesday drive from Mac Sceroler's home in Louisiana to Chattanooga, Tenn., didn't show it on any map, but he traveled down a steep hill to get there. The peak of it actually back in Baltimore. The descent from the majors to Double-A baseball is common with Rule 5 selections. Sceroler sensed that it might be coming. Braced for it and understanding of the reasons. Two months spent on the injured list and rehabbing his right shoulder tore through whatever odds of success existed with...

New faces can't keep O's from familiar place in 5-2 loss (updated)

New faces can't keep O's from familiar place in 5-2 loss (updated)
The roster churn that presents one of the defining qualities of the Orioles' 2021 season freshened the lineup this morning and expanded the bench. It could not, however, improve the won-lost record. Jorge López threw 100 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, the third time through the order bruising him in the fifth, and the Blue Jays won 5-2 in Buffalo to claim the series. The Orioles are 24-54 and have lost 22 of 23 road games as they board their flight to Houston. López was done after Cavan...

Orioles aren't done debuting players

Orioles aren't done debuting players
Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis, and the law states that he can't be referenced without his signature pitch proceeding his name, became the eighth Oriole on Wednesday to make his major league debut this season. Konner Wade was the ninth, and the 42nd player used by the club, when he replaced starter Keegan Akin yesterday and allowed six runs and seven hits in 1 2/3 innings. Alexander Wells became Nos. 10 and 43 when he replaced Wade in the seventh and tossed two scoreless innings. And it's only...

Leftovers for breakfast

Leftovers for breakfast
The Orioles won't be able to measure the exact amount of damage done by the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19. There isn't a device invented for it, despite the wealth of technology at their fingertips. They made the best of a very bad situation with their alternate training site in Bowie and fall instructional camp, as well as programs and innovative ideas transferred via Zoom calls to players kept home. There are scattered examples of prospects who are flourishing...

Orioles call up Wells and Wade, option Kremer

Orioles call up Wells and Wade, option Kremer
Two more pitchers have a chance to make their major league debuts with the Orioles. The team announced today that it recalled left-hander Alexander Wells from Triple-A Norfolk and selected the contract of right-hander Konner Wade. They're in Buffalo tonight as the Orioles try to snap a 20-game road losing streak. Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis was designated for assignment to make room for Wade on the 40-man roster. Dean Kremer has been optioned to Norfolk after last night's disastrous outing...

Jannis makes major league debut in 13-0 loss (updated)

Jannis makes major league debut in 13-0 loss (updated)
The countdown to Mickey Jannis' major league debut began tonight in the top of the second inning. He began warming in the fourth after Dillon Tate sat down. He walked through the gate in the fifth and into a chapter of his professional life that didn't seem plausible. Jannis finally pitched in a major league game, his small but vocal cheering section unleashed in front of the press box. The run he allowed in the sixth seemed inconsequential based on the score and his journey. Then came four...

Jannis talks about making the majors at age 33

Jannis talks about making the majors at age 33
The latest reliever swap by the Orioles has put knuckleballer Mickey Jannis in the bullpen, his major league debut at age 33 perhaps coming later tonight against the Astros. The Orioles selected Jannis' contract yesterday from Triple-A Norfolk, with the news passed along by Tides manager Gary Kendall via a phone call. The team didn't play yesterday. Kendall wanted to tell Jannis in person, but he couldn't do it. "I don't think I could put into words what this means," Jannis said earlier...

Orioles DFA Mac Sceroler and select Mickey Jannis' contract

Orioles DFA Mac Sceroler and select Mickey Jannis' contract
The Orioles have cut ties with Rule 5 pitcher Mac Sceroler. The club designated Sceroler for assignment this afternoon and selected the contract of knuckleballer Mickey Jannis from Triple-A Norfolk. Jannis is wearing No. 76, a first in team history, and waiting to make his major league debut. Sceroler, the nephew of former Orioles pitcher and current MASN analyst Ben McDonald, made five appearances and allowed 12 earned runs (15 total) and 15 hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked seven batters,...

Elias on bullpen changes, pitching plans and the draft

Elias on bullpen changes, pitching plans and the draft
Trey Mancini hopped on a Zoom call after a recent loss and spoke about the frustrating nature of a team that can't get "synced up." His words coming after the Orioles scored six runs and allowed 13. Plenty of offense and no pitching to support it. It also works in reverse. Starter Jorge López completed six innings yesterday for the first time since Sept. 19, 2020. A quality start produced by someone besides John Means. Relievers Shawn Armstrong and Tanner Scott combined to retire all six...

López falters in fifth and offense late to fire up in 4-2 loss (updated)

López falters in fifth and offense late to fire up in 4-2 loss (updated)
The Orioles gambled today by leaving their tired bullpen intact and counting on Jorge López to provide some length. But they didn't necessarily bypass an obvious solution. The pitching staff at Triple-A Norfolk isn't loaded with 40-man options. Hard decisions are pending, with Hunter Harvey's return from the 60-day injured list, perhaps by early June, just one of them. Manager Brandon Hyde wasn't going to use a couple of his relievers tonight after an exhausting homestand. Finding a hot...

Orioles' home woes worsen in 10-1 loss (McKenna optioned)

Orioles' home woes worsen in 10-1 loss (McKenna optioned)
The fascination with the Orioles' poor home record builds with each defeat. The demands for a simple explanation grow along with the loss total. Here's a simple truth that played out again this afternoon: Location of the game doesn't matter if pitch location isn't precise. Rookie Dean Kremer surrendered a pair of home runs in the second inning, the Rays flexing their muscle throughout the series, the bullpen labored again and the Orioles were beaten 10-1 to complete the sweep. The Orioles...

This, that and the other

This, that and the other
The month of April gave left-hander Zac Lowther his first introduction to the majors with a surprise call-up and his scoreless ninth inning on April 25. Optioned back to the alternate training site, he rejoined the Orioles as a member of their taxi squad for the West Coast trip that resumes tonight in Seattle. Good times for the pitcher MLBPipeline.com deems the No. 11 prospect in the organization. The only downside to placing him on the taxi squad was his inability to start Triple-A Norfolk's...

Orioles remain undecided on pitching numbers (updated)

Orioles remain undecided on pitching numbers (updated)
Opening day is approaching the one-week mark and the Orioles don't know whether they're breaking camp with five or six starters and whether they're carrying 13 or 14 pitchers. Health, performance and other factors are tipping the scales. "Our pitching situation is still very much in flux and there's still a lot of questions still to be answered," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said today in his Zoom Call. "I think adding somebody as a sixth man in the rotation is doable without having to...

Orioles lineup vs. Pirates

Orioles lineup vs. Pirates
Rio Ruiz is playing third base this afternoon and manager Brandon Hyde has put Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays in the same outfield again, as the Orioles head back to Bradenton to play the Pirates. Mullins is leading off and playing center field and Hays is in right. Anthony Santander is the designated hitter. Third baseman Maikel Franco gets the day off and returns to the lineup on Tuesday. Trey Mancini is the first baseman as he keeps proving that he'll be ready for opening day and an...